The Women of Honour group has said its meeting with Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin was "extremely frank" and he has agreed to re-engage on the terms of reference for an inquiry into the Defence Forces.
"Conversations will keep going to try to work the differences we have in the terms of reference," retired army captain and group member Diane Byrne said.
She said the Women of Honour are keen to get this resolved, but only if it is right, adding that there are "some serious issues".
Ms Byrne also said the group raised Mr Martin's comment on "slips, trips and falls" that caused outrage for it, referring to leaving the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act out of the terms of reference.
"We had a discussion around that," she said.
"He alluded how he meant that to be. We obviously said that we felt we took it in a different light. And that is what it is. He said it one way, we took it in a different way. We had that discussion. We are going back to the table now and deal with why we feel it should be in and why we feel that it was an inappropriate comment."
She also reiterated the group's concern that the Department of Defence is handling the issue and said it would rather this was taken over by the Department of the Taoiseach.
"We always believe it is inappropriate. Even if it's just a case for perception purposes. We are talking about the organisation, the Department of Defence creating terms of reference that really has them included in the review of it, and the investigation of it. Of course that has conflict of interest.
However, Ms Byrne said the group is willing to "keep going" and needs the discussions to continue to reach an agreement.
She anticipates the next meeting will be held before Christmas.
In a statement, the Department of Defence said that Mr Martin has "agreed to reflect on matters raised in the meeting and will consult with the Attorney General."
Views of all groups must be listened to, Varadkar says
Ahead of the meeting, Women of Honour said the Tánaiste needed to withdraw "his trivialisation of our claims being about slips, trips and falls.
"In our view, the minister has sought to equate the unsafe nature of the Defence Forces' workplace of rapes, sexual assaults and other outrages with low level "slips, trips and falls".
The group was referencing a letter from Mr Martin to it in which he explained why the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act was not being included.
He outlined in the letter that a reference to this act would be very broad and could "conceivably include trips slips and falls that may have occurred in the workplace".
Earlier this month, Mr Martin described as "false" the accusation by the group that he sought to equate rape and sexual assault in the Defence Forces with "trips, slips and falls".
"The assertion that it is an equation is false and is a distortion," he said.
Speaking outside Government Buildings, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the voices of many have to be listened to and not just the views of one group.
Regarding the Women of Honour's concern that Mr Martin’s role as Minister for Defence could be conflicting with the tribunal, he rejected this assertion and said he supports him.
Mr Varadkar said that it is not unusual for groups to want to "leapfrog" ministers at times and come to him but the Government does not work on that basis.
